Wichita eagle., 1887-07-08
THE PARK AFTER DARK.
INTERESTING NIGHT SCENES AT
CENTRAL PARK MENAGERiE.


Hunting for Tramp Dogs and Stray Cats.
A Capital Place for sIeditation-Dead
Mans Landing Tho Late Staying
Lovers.
Keeper Tom Donohue every night sallies
forth in Central park with his shotgun on
hunt for tramp dogs and stray cats.
The dogs come in to kill the rabbits.
guineas and peafowl. The sheep are all
penned during the night. Cats go to THE
park to get squirrels and birds. There
used to be good fishing III the lake, but it
hasn't been allowed for years.
Night at the menageries is perhaps more
interesting than elsewhere in the park.
Somehow iron bars and cages do not look
nearly so strong at night as they do in
broad daylight, and sense of possible
danger adds considerable interest to a
midnight visit AS rule the brutes sleep
pretty soundIy, but there are exceptions.
The sea lions, of which there are six in
the ponds, keep up their discordant bark
ing until after 12 O'Clock, and begin it
again at daylight. Every now and then
one of the eagles viii give shrill, piercing
shrek, which makes the chance passer
start with sudden terror, and highly in
censes the residents of near by houses on
Fifth avenue. The coyotes, or prairie
wolves, have happy fashion Of bowling
in their blood cr1rdling way at every noise,
and now and then the jackals and Ions
join in the chorus. When the lion takes
a notion to give good old fashioned roar,
every animal, great and small, in the me-
nd in q
neighborhood for the next ten minutes is
impossible to every one but Mr.. Crowley,
the chimpanzee. He sIumbers sweetly all
night long, no matter how much Of a
racket the other animals are indulging in.
He had until a short time ago little cot
to sleep on, but he broke the bottom out
of it, and now he curls up on the floor Of
his big cage on the barracks
THE ANIMALS GET OUT.
Some Of the animals get out once in a
while, and then all hands turn out for a
hunt The tapir climbed over his fence
one night not very long ago and led the
keepers lively chase before he was re-
captured. He swan across the lake, and
it was fully two hours before he was put
in safe place again. The buffaloes have
got away more than once, and they are
to being driven back to their pens. The
lions and tigers lie on their backs with
their feet up in the air when they sleep,
and the bears, who in the day time are
mortal enemies, huddle together as closely
as possible as soon as night comes on. The
owls, although they are popularity sup
posed to stay awake all night, don't do
anything Of the kind at the menagerie.
Ir,tn fnay,
they do not boot. They only snap their
for another nap.
There isn't usually much left in Central
park at night. 1t is never wildly exciting
except perhaps to men Of superstitious
tendencies and weak nerves. 1t is very
peaceful and quiet, and capital place for
reflection. Through the black branches
of surrounding trees one can see the
thousands of lights glittering in the tall
fiat houses far and near. Some are so
high above the ground that they would be
easily mistaken for stars. Down by the
lake it is very dark and still and solemn
at night. The black water laps lazIy On
the shores and whispers queer secrets to
the listening bushes. Over on the west
shore, where the little summer house is
dimly seen in the starlight, is Dead Mans
landing. Many a time has it had lying
on its rough boards all that remained OF
some poor, weary, disheartened wretch,
who, taking chances on the hereafter, had
slipped over so quietly into the kindly
waters to add one more item to the record
Of the found drowned"
THE LATE STAYING LOVERS.
The latest stayers in the park are the
lovers. They sit close together on the
benches and whisper the old story over
and over again until gray coated, brass
buttoned disturber happens along and
says in his cruel, Official tones: Times
up; all persons must go outside. It's
after 8 O'Clock" Think of it! Only 8
o'clock, and they could sit there until
3 a. N. and never weary for one instant.
''Well, sir,'' said sparrow policeman,
''them lovers is study. I've done some
courtin' in my day as well as any one,
but, Lord, l never had it as bad as them
as comes in here. Why, do you know,
I've seen 'em that far gone that they d
come here when the snow lay three or
four inches deep in the ground, clear off
just space enough for two on bench, and
sit there talkin' an spoonin' for hours,
with the snow piled up on each side of
them. Fact, sir, an they begged to be
allowed to sit awhile longer when I told
'em it was time to be movin' out. There's
more of 'em in the summer, of course, but
the winter ones is the most lovin'.'
There used to be a mysterious, nOncom-
initial woman who, every summer morn
ing as the clock was striking 4, would ap-
pear on the ramble, and, walking swiftly
over to where the peacocks had been strut
ting the day before, search the ground for
feathers. When she found one, which
was not often-for the children kept
< en- lookout for them-she would stick it
in her hair and appear highly delighted at
the effect, which she noted in little bit
Of broken looking glass. They say she
was never known 10 make but one re-
mark, but that was often repeated. She
would say Il ~ mighty fine Bird when
ever she was spoken TO. There her COM
municativeness would cease.-New York
Sun